Why (on earth) would I pray for my enemies?

I'm sure you're thinking, "Oh I've got a prayer for my enemy alright..." I'll let you go ahead and finish that statement. But I heard a pastor say, one Sunday, "who is at the top of your prayer list? ...Is it you?"

It got me to thinking: Wow, I'm sure most of us would admit that we are at the top of our own prayer list; meanwhile another group of us might not admit it, but if we think back to the things we pray about the most--well we are the benefactor of those things.

So then that thought led me to ponder 'what would it be like if our enemy was at the top of our prayer list'. Immediately I whispered to myself, I'm sure our enemies are somehow already at the top of the list because we are probably praying they get "got" by God or some type of retaliation for what they've 'done to us'. Sadly, this isn't what God was referring to when He challenged us to...

"...I say love your enemies, pray for them that persecute you..." Matthew 5:44

How in the world do I pray for someone who is not only being unloving towards me, but who is plotting against and setting up for my demise? Keep in mind, some enemies are simply people who aren't blatantly accusing or attacking us but may silently drawing us to do evil, or even is unknowingly doing things that directly affect us in a negative manner.

So we pray for them by asking God and His angels to come against their plans...

"Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone." ~Ps. 31:4

After all the battle isn't against them, its a mirage to distract us from the real enemy- Satan who is after our lives.

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies (human opponents), but against evil rulers" ~Eph. 6:12

So this frees us up to pray that our 'enemies' would be silenced. We can pray that they be shown the love of God through us. We might pray that God would restore the fellowship or broken/bruised relationship for His glory. We can even pray that our enemy would come to know Him as their Savior.

What's the point though? If I don't feel like doing this to begin with, why do it? To activate the nature Christ has placed in us that causes us to be/act just like Him. To achieve the highest level of holiness and perfection (maturity).

Spotting our fears!

F-E-A-R! The four letter word that we are trained to fight, to resist, to never indulge in.


Fear. The ultimate enemy of anything we pursue in life.

Am I right?

It's the butterflies in our stomach before a huge performance. It's the short-lived hesitation we experience before boarding a roller coaster ride. It's the apprehension we sense right before baring our soul before someone who just might reject us.

I was comforted this week when I read Judges 6-7 about the story of Gideon. Being such a frail man, God chose to use him to deliver His people from the Midianites. Knowing Gideon to be afraid, God still gave him the directive and even made provisions for him in his weakness.

"That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! ¹⁰ But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah."

~Judges 7:10

 

 

I was encouraged because sometimes I'm prone to believe that the Lord needs to completely remove my fear or weakness before He begins to work in a certain area of my life. Before He can provide a need for me, or satisfy a desire or even fulfill His divine purpose in my life that I have to wait for Him to fix me. This one scripture would not let me continue to read because I was so lifted to be reminded that ...

 

 

"...for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. ...for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength)." ~2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 

 

 

So when God told Gideon "Go with the strength that you have..." (Judges 6:14), I can be assured that God has given me the green light in pursuing dreams and operating in my gifts and talents. That even when my fear tends to flare up, He is there assuring me that it is in that very moment He is present and willing to flex His strong arm. I'm led to believe He delights when I'm afraid, when I'm unsure, when I'm hesitant...because its' then that He can rise up and show off His great strength. It is THEN that He knows He will get the most glory from the outcome!

 

 

[pictures from (gymper.com) and (thefrontierpost.com)]

Our Lives...His Masterpiece!

"For [you] are God's [own] Masterpiece [handiwork, workmanship], created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God planned beforehand for us that we should walk in them." ~Eph. 2:10

Have you ever been to a painting class? I have a bit of a confession, I'm guilty of having gone about 10 times. All of my "masterpieces" sit in a box in my house, and my latest two are ones I'm most proud of, but I digress.

Any-who, at these painting classes, I love how the original version of the painting sits high up an easel on a stage for the entire class to marvel at. Then the master painter takes her post to step-by-step direct us in making our blank canvas slowly look like the original.

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image."

~2 Cor. 3:18

How fantastic that God has an original design that He desires to transform us into. But don't be misled, this transformation does NOT happen immediately. Some people are disillusioned and believe that after they 'walk down the aisle' on Sunday during the alter call or as soon as they say amen following the sinner's prayer something spectacular is supposed to come over them that causes them to stop every evil deed they've ever done.

Not true. Does something supernatural occur? Yes! Your nature changes (your blank canvas now contains the foundational colors needed); the Holy Spirit comes to live in you (to acknowledge you as His own) and seals you (as a deposit) to guarantee us everything He promises. [2 Cor. 1:22]

From this point on, we must enlist His supernatural strength and help to turn away from sin. Every temptation we face, every inner struggle we have, every area that falls short of God's standard needs a supernatural stroke of His brush. We must allow Him to dip His brush in His cleansing waters, select colors of His choice and creatively manipulate our canvases.

I think back to areas I used to struggle with and how I fasted and wept and prayed God deliver me from. Yet every time I failed in that area and confessed my sin, I couldn't understand why He wasn't removing that struggle from me. But now I can be faced with that temptation and it not tempting to me anymore. I have no desire to yield to it. He reminds me that He was patiently delivering me through that in His time. That's how He paints our canvas.

Know this, each victory over our sins that we encounter is an example of how strong HE is and we should be so grateful that He is working His righteousness out in us.

Your Creator designed you and He is the master painter; let Him take His post to step-by-step transform your blank canvas and slowly cause you to look like Him...the original design.

I may not look exactly like my Creator right now, but I do not look like I did when I first trusted Him as my Savior. However, I keep the finished result in my view, so I know that as He continues to paint my canvas, I'm certain of what I'm pressing for. Being a reflection of the character of God.

Grown-Up Temper Tantrums

Ok, so this summer I got my final tattoo. Yes I have more than one and yes, they're all hidden (for the most part). But real T, my tattoos are all symbols of deep convictions I've experienced in my walk with the Lord. This latest is my smallest one and hands-down my favorite. Why? Well let me tell you.

Have you ever seen a kid throw a temper tantrum in the store and wonder "Ooooh lemme see how this parent is gonna handle THAT!" I'm guilty of lingering just to see if that kid is gonna get a whooping from their parent. I know my mom would have yanked my chain RIGHT.THERE.IN.THE.STORE!!!

Well as an adult I've thrown some "Grown-up temper tantrums". What do I mean? I'm the kind of person who likes to plan things and then witness those things go just as I planned them. So when those things do NOT go as planned, I throw an adult version of a temper tantrum.

Am I saying that's okay? By no means. I recognize my flaws and how childish this error is and I'm thankful God has revealed it to me, because I can actively ask Him to mature me in that area and eagerly anticipate the act of renewing that will come as a result! But recently a friend called to my attention my anxiety that I was experiencing when I began to notice that a certain event I'm planning wasn't unfolding as planned.

Her words were, "Kim, don't allow yourself to get frazzled. Things will work out as they should and those who need to be there, will be there. Do your part in excellence and leave the results to God." I can't say this is my first time hearing this type of advice.
I once asked my mom, "Aren't you afraid that your kids would grow up and turn against God?"
Her confident response was, "No, because I did my part, obediently, in raising you all and now I leave the results to God."

I remember being appalled (at first) by her confident response, but then later understanding that it wasn't self-confidence she spoke in, but it was hopeful trust in God.

"But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you..." 1 Peter 3:15

Lately the Lord has been showing me that the same confidence and hope that I utilized when I put my trust in Him to save me from my sins (some 27 years ago) is the same confidence, hope and trust I must utilize daily. This hope and trust I placed in Him to save me from the wages of my sin and eternal separation from Him is able to keep me grounded when I'm facing the struggle of yielding to the desires I have; it's able to assure me when I'm unsure of what decisions to make, and it gives me wisdom when I'm battling whether to ditch situations that He prefers I face.

When you placed your trust in Christ to be the anchor for your soul, you blindly relied on Him to secure your position with God when your life on earth ends. What a colossal leap of faith. That same measure of faith can be applied daily to the menial moment to moment, day to day things that we should be relying on Him for.

"[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil" ~Heb. 6:19

Needless to say, I'm anticipating that my boat (of emotions) will be rocked less and less and as I grow in this area, I will be moored (anchored) to the sea bottom. I trust the Holy Spirit will remind me of the hope I placed in Christ to be my unbreakable spiritual lifeline and dropping this anchor into my daily situations should keep me at a level of unusual rest even while things around me look awry.